Fair or Unfair? How Cultures Differ on Teaching Children About Inequality
When is inequality between children acceptable? A new study from Shanghai and Norway reveals stark cultural differences in how adults judge fairness. Beliefs about merit, luck, and childhood shape whether inequality is tolerated—decisions that echo through education, parenting, and policy.
In a unique large-scale experiment, researchers Alexander W. Cappelen, Ranveig Falch, Zhongjing Huang, and Bertil Tungodden asked over 6,000 adults in Shanghai and Norway to make real financial decisions affecting children. The setup was simple but loaded with moral implications: two children completed the same task, but only one received a monetary reward. Would the adult redistribute the money to equalize their earnings—or accept the inequality?
Across the board, Norwegians were far more inclined to equalize than Shanghainese participants. On average, adults in Shanghai implemented twice as much inequality between children, and only 19% chose to fully equalize incomes—compared to 62% in Norway. These differences persisted even when accounting for factors like income, education, and parental status.
The study didn’t just measure preferences—it unpacked them. By varying the age of the children (five, nine, thirteen, or seventeen) and changing the cause of the inequality (luck or merit), the researchers could test which factors shaped fairness decisions. In both countries, adults were more accepting of inequality as children grew older, suggesting a developmental lens: younger children are viewed as more vulnerable and less responsible for outcomes. Adults were also more willing to accept inequality when it was merit-based rather than due to chance, though this distinction mattered more in Norway than in Shanghai.
An especially revealing insight came from a follow-up question: Do adults believe it's important for children to learn that life is not always fair? Both societies broadly agreed, but the conviction was stronger in Shanghai. This belief—what the authors call the “learning mechanism”—appeared to guide decisions. Those who agreed more strongly were more willing to allow inequality. The authors suggest that this moral logic may partly explain Shanghai’s higher tolerance: inequality isn’t just accepted—it’s seen as a teaching tool.
This moral calculus echoes broader cultural trends. In Shanghai, competition starts early, with academic rankings and elite sports programs introduced from a young age. Norway, by contrast, delays grading until eighth grade and discourages competitive structures in youth sports. The findings reflect and help explain these divergent approaches.
The researchers also examined whether attitudes toward inequality between children mirrored views on inequality between adults. They found that, particularly when inequality was caused by luck, people were more willing to accept it between adults than between children—especially in Norway. This suggests that childhood still holds a unique moral status, but that status erodes as children age.
Ultimately, the study points to a deeper truth: what societies believe about fairness and childhood shapes everything from school systems to social policies. When adults make decisions about how to treat children unequally, they are not only expressing their values—they are modeling them. The choices made today will ripple into the next generation, as children learn what is acceptable, what is fair, and what kind of society they belong to.